Pakistan
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Pakistan: Chilli pepper farmers struggle with extreme climate conditions
Extreme heat and drought followed by floods: climate change is making this sequence of weather in Pakistan increasingly likely. The consequences include crop failure, as seen in the chilli capital of Pakistan, Kunri. By Florian Görner
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Best of Qantara.de 2022
Our readers' favourite articles this year
At the end of every year, the team at Qantara.de gives you a run-down of the ten most-read articles on the site over the past 12 months. Here is a quick overview of the stories that attracted the most attention in 2022. Happy New Year to all our readers!
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Patriarchy in Pakistan
Pakistani feminist comedians challenge taboos
Against all the odds and despite social barriers, women in Pakistan are using comedy to break gender stereotypes, share personal experiences and challenge patriarchal practices. Mavra Bari reports
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Pakistani cuisine
Lahore’s maverick restauranteur
Welcome to Baking Virsa, a hole-in-the-wall in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore described as the country’s most expensive restaurant for what it serves – household favourites like flatbreads and kebabs
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Extortion and intimidation in Swat Valley
Pakistan Taliban racketeering hits borderlands
A lawmaker in Pakistan's rugged northwest was sipping tea with voters when his phone chirped to life – the Taliban were calling with a demand for 'donations'. "We hope you won't disappoint" read the chilling text from a shady go-between of the Pakistan chapter of the Islamists, known as Tehreek–e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
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Transgender rights
Pakistani movie "Joyland" banned at home
The local screening of a Pakistan-produced movie portraying a love affair between a married man and a transgender woman hangs in the balance after the film was cleared by censors, then banned by the government under pressure from Islamists
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Khan attack aftermath
Pakistan in turmoil
The attempt on the life of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan marks a turning point in the country’s politics. Having come to power in 2018 with the help of the military, Khan is now increasingly distancing himself from his former patrons. Analysis by Mohammad Luqman
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God's love for all
Sufism is not just Muslim
Sufism has fluid boundaries. Just like Islam, Sufism is inconceivable without its late antique roots. Then again, it has also exerted an influence on Hinduism. Moreover, the Sufic doctrine of divine love exists independently of Islam. By Stefan Weidner
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Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses"
The long road to German publication
Following the recent brutal attack on Salman Rushdie, famous writers have been reading passages from his works. Torsten Landsberg takes a look at the struggle in 1988 to publish "The Satanic Verses" in German
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Afghanistan under the Taliban
Back to the past
One year ago the Taliban returned to power, seizing Kabul; the U.S. and its allies made a panicked exit from the country. Of all the books written on the subject, four stand out from the crowd. By Tobias Matern
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Geopolitics and jihadism
Biden’s dangerous embrace of Pakistan
The Biden administration could have used Pakistan’s economic crisis to compel the country to sever its longstanding ties to terrorist groups. Instead, the U.S. protects and rewards it, putting short-term geopolitical considerations ahead of long-term interests. Commentary by Indian analyst Brahma Chellaney
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Rahman Abbas' "Zindeeq"
Who's learning lessons from the Holocaust?
Set in a dystopian future, Rahman Abbas’ new novel “Zindeeq” draws on the Indian author’s worries about recent trends in his home country, where aggressive identity politics have been – and still are – gaining momentum. Almuth Degener read the book